Finally, I came to a decision. But first, some information on some of the contributing factors to my decision. Last Monday evening, I attended an open house at the DePaul downtown campus for CDM (College of Computing and Digital Media). there were about 10 - 15 potential students in attendance. We listened to a short 30 minute session that ending with Q/A towards the seven panelists from various specializations in CDM, including a current student, a recent graduate and a variety of professors. Michelle Dash was the recent graduate, and I spent time with her and two other potential students when the room broke up into smaller groups. She was very sharp and answered all questions candidly. She was convinced that her Master's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction was crucial for her success and that the field was booming.
On Wednesday, I spoke to Dr. Adam Steele, an Associate Professor in Human-Computer Interaction and he was very helpful, confirming my thoughts on the direction of my studies. My age, the amount of school debt, the number of years left in my career and how to leverage my background were all crucial in my decision. Adam listened to my thoughts during the half hour appointment. Some of the areas we discussed were potential salary ranges, whether I would need to take the prerequisites, and the classes he taught. That evening, I contacted Michelle Dash and asked her about Dr. Steele as a academic advisor, as well as Dr. Craig Miller whom I will speak with on Monday. She wholeheartedly recommend both, stating their strengths.
On Monday, after speaking with Dr. Miller, I have an appointment with Becky Krochmal, an Assistant Director of Advising and I will officially change my focus from Computer Science to Human-Computer Interaction. and determine which prerequisites I need to take.
Why do I feel this is the direction for me?
1. My age - if I were in my late 20's or early 30's, I would definitely enroll in Software Engineering. But at this time of my life with 20 years or less left until retirement, this seems the best fit with the direction I want to go, my personality, the type of company that would hire me, and that my age and experience would be a plus in this field.
2. My expected salary - while I may need to take a pay cut compared to what I was making when I worked at Parametric Technology Corporation, I should be able to exceed that within a very sort time.
3. Potential employers - I prefer working for larger companies. For me, I saw less politics and the professionalism of the employees was markedly different than smaller companies. And my professional growth was also an advantage.
4. Length of time needed to get my degree - While not the shortest time needed, this degree will take at least a year less than Software Engineering or Computer Science where I would have to take all the prerequisite, which would add an additional year. Plus, there may be other prerequisitesneeded for some of the core classes.
5. Loans - Although not cheap, the anticipated mid-$30k tuition bill is something I want to pay off within 5 years of graduating. My wife still has about $40k in loans when she got her teaching certificate and Master's Degree.
Next - Immunizations, registration and IDS... stay tuned
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Another Big Decision Part I
Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction... this week, I spoke with two advisors, trying to determine which direction to go. While a Computer Science Master's Degree is a great direction, it will be the most intensive, longest and most expensive route. At my age, those are all aspects I need to consider to make sure the money spent is well-spent. That's why I want to make sure I have thought through all options. Unlike undergraduate studies, once I start my Master's Degree studies there are very few courses I can take regardless of the direction I choose. If I change my mind, then the courses I take may be helpful to my overall knowledge, but will not count towards my Master's Degree.
I spoke with Mel Caliwliw Johnson first, a Career Advisor at DePaul. She was very helpful and suggested suggested I contact various professors at DePaul. I was impressed by the time she took with me and it was obvious she was very professional. Her thought-provoking questions helped me to look at some areas I hadn't originally considered.
Next I spoke with Daniel Mittleman, an associate professor in Information Systems at DePaul. After spending 30 minutes on the phone with him, he suggested either Software Engineering or Human-Computer Interaction. Information Systems has the following specializations: Standard Concentration, Business Analysis / Systems Analysis Concentration, Project Management Concentration, Enterprise Systems Integration Concentration, Information Technology Management Concentration, Business Web Analysis and Development Concentration, Managing E-Business Concentration, Business Intelligence Concentration, Information Security & Compliance Concentration, Database Administration Concentration. After much thought, this direction would not be my first choice because it does not leverage my past experiences. It's advantage? It is the fastest and least expensive option (about $35000 and a bit less than two years).
Computer Science is the "gold standard" of the options I am considering with the following specializations: Software and Systems Development, Theory, Database Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, Security, Multimedia. The advantages would be my marketability, and the formal training needed to thrive. The disadvantages are that this would be the most expensive (about $45K) and would take the longest (three years if I took eight courses a year, or 32 hours a year).
Next week, I have four phone appointments with various professors and a recent grad in Software Engineering, Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction. And there is an open house for all Computer Science graduate programs next Monday evening from 5:30 - 7pm.
I am hoping to have a decision made by November 1 and will start on January 3, 2011. Stay tuned...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
School Choice
Northwestern, DePaul, University of Phoenix, Keller/DeVry... all possible choices, but which would win the Mike lottery? What were my initial thoughts and impressions of each school?
University of Phoenix was the initial school I contacted and the advisor I spooke with on the phone was very knowledgeable, prepared and pleasant. I really liked my initial impression. We spoke for about 30 minutes. campus. I spent about 30 minutes with this person. The cost of the degree would be approximately $25,000.
Next up was Keller / DeVry and I was not impressed. The adviser was young, was a student at Keller, but focused on a different discipline. He was pleasant enough, but too many of my questions were in areas he wasn't trained to answer and I felt that maybe my interests were not necessarily strengths of Keller. The cost of the degree would be $34,000.
Northwestern was the third school I considered and was the school that initially piqued my interest in going back to school. I attended an open house at the Chicago campus with about 50 others interested in pursuing their Master's, with the range of ages from 22 through 60, and the median was probably late 30s / early 40s. Initially we met as a group for 30 minutes, as a couple of representatives espoused the advantages of a Northwestern education. Then we broke into groups by concentration and about 15 of us met with the chair of the department, Dr. Faisal Akkawi. He was very well-spoken and answered questions for about 30 minutes. He stressed that a Northwestern education was only half of the reason we were there; networking was almost as important and many students were able to obtain a position because of a connection they may in class. I asked him to compare a DePaul education and a Northwestern education. He focused on the small class-size and prestige of the instructors, all of which were noted specialists in their fields, many of which were award winning. However, the cost would be between $47,000 and $50,000, depending on the number of courses I would need to take. Being that I hope to retire about 20 years from now, cost is a concern.
Lastly, DePaul. I attended an open house at the Lincoln Park campus earlier this week. All graduate programs were represented, and over 100 prospective students attended, with the average age being closer to mid-30s. I visited the financial aid booth, the Computer Science booth and the Business booth. I was intrigued by the joint Master's programs in Business / Computer Science, Law / Computer Science. I spent about 30 minutes talking to different people and felt the this may be my best option. Why? I had earlier sent emails to about 30 LinkedIn contacts, and spoke with other friends in person, asking their impressions of the schools I was examining. Universally, DePaul was number one with only 2 people expressing a negative perception. My supervisor at work earned his Master's from DePaul in Computer Science and raved about the experience. Our department's supervisor started attending DePaul right in September, earning his MBA and also has been pleased with the quality of education he has obtained. the cost of the program would be between $35,000 and $40,000 depending on whether I wanted to get my Master's in Computer Science or Information Systems.
And the winner is...
DePaul! In fact I applied about two weeks ago and received my congratulatory letter yesterday for the Computer Science program. If I decided to stay in starting Computer Science, it will take about 4 years because there are 7 preliminary courses I need to take before starting the actual program.
Next up... will it be a joint major, or single? Two years, or will I bite the bullet and go for the four year program?
University of Phoenix was the initial school I contacted and the advisor I spooke with on the phone was very knowledgeable, prepared and pleasant. I really liked my initial impression. We spoke for about 30 minutes. campus. I spent about 30 minutes with this person. The cost of the degree would be approximately $25,000.
Next up was Keller / DeVry and I was not impressed. The adviser was young, was a student at Keller, but focused on a different discipline. He was pleasant enough, but too many of my questions were in areas he wasn't trained to answer and I felt that maybe my interests were not necessarily strengths of Keller. The cost of the degree would be $34,000.
Northwestern was the third school I considered and was the school that initially piqued my interest in going back to school. I attended an open house at the Chicago campus with about 50 others interested in pursuing their Master's, with the range of ages from 22 through 60, and the median was probably late 30s / early 40s. Initially we met as a group for 30 minutes, as a couple of representatives espoused the advantages of a Northwestern education. Then we broke into groups by concentration and about 15 of us met with the chair of the department, Dr. Faisal Akkawi. He was very well-spoken and answered questions for about 30 minutes. He stressed that a Northwestern education was only half of the reason we were there; networking was almost as important and many students were able to obtain a position because of a connection they may in class. I asked him to compare a DePaul education and a Northwestern education. He focused on the small class-size and prestige of the instructors, all of which were noted specialists in their fields, many of which were award winning. However, the cost would be between $47,000 and $50,000, depending on the number of courses I would need to take. Being that I hope to retire about 20 years from now, cost is a concern.
Lastly, DePaul. I attended an open house at the Lincoln Park campus earlier this week. All graduate programs were represented, and over 100 prospective students attended, with the average age being closer to mid-30s. I visited the financial aid booth, the Computer Science booth and the Business booth. I was intrigued by the joint Master's programs in Business / Computer Science, Law / Computer Science. I spent about 30 minutes talking to different people and felt the this may be my best option. Why? I had earlier sent emails to about 30 LinkedIn contacts, and spoke with other friends in person, asking their impressions of the schools I was examining. Universally, DePaul was number one with only 2 people expressing a negative perception. My supervisor at work earned his Master's from DePaul in Computer Science and raved about the experience. Our department's supervisor started attending DePaul right in September, earning his MBA and also has been pleased with the quality of education he has obtained. the cost of the program would be between $35,000 and $40,000 depending on whether I wanted to get my Master's in Computer Science or Information Systems.
And the winner is...
DePaul! In fact I applied about two weeks ago and received my congratulatory letter yesterday for the Computer Science program. If I decided to stay in starting Computer Science, it will take about 4 years because there are 7 preliminary courses I need to take before starting the actual program.
Next up... will it be a joint major, or single? Two years, or will I bite the bullet and go for the four year program?
Friday, October 8, 2010
What to Do, What to Do
Over the last 10 years, I have debated about going back to school. For a variety of reasons, I never enrolled. Part of the reason was that I wasn't sure what I wanted; initially, I wanted to be a high school teacher but I wasn't sure in what field. History, art, computer science, physical education. Eventually, I decided that the timing wasn't good and the initial paycut I would have to take would not be in the best interest of my family.
Like many crossroads in my life, my desire to go back to school resurfaced because of a plethora of events. I enjoy my job, but I was promised a trip to AdobeMax in October of this year when I was hired. AdobeMax is a three-day long convention where attendees further their technical skills and understanding of their software. About a month ago I was told the economy was too weak for the company to fulfill their promise. It was disappointing, but not a deal breaker. Secondly, I felt my self-taught web development skills were good, but I needed more formal education.
What school should I attend? Stay tuned...
Like many crossroads in my life, my desire to go back to school resurfaced because of a plethora of events. I enjoy my job, but I was promised a trip to AdobeMax in October of this year when I was hired. AdobeMax is a three-day long convention where attendees further their technical skills and understanding of their software. About a month ago I was told the economy was too weak for the company to fulfill their promise. It was disappointing, but not a deal breaker. Secondly, I felt my self-taught web development skills were good, but I needed more formal education.
What school should I attend? Stay tuned...
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